As soon as children get old enough, they love to grab a crayon and start scribbling on paper. Even though these scribbles look messy to you, they are actually the start of learning to write. Below are some steps on how you can build on this and help the children with their writing.

Set Up a Writing Center

You likely have many toys in your daycare that the children love to play with. You may have books and spend time reading to them each day. You should also add a writing center to your daycare. This could simply be a table with some crayons on it along with blank sheets of paper or construction paper.

Encourage the children to write in their own way, as well as to draw pictures. Provide them with fat pencils that they will use when they first start school. This will help the children get used to holding the pencil in the right way.

Talk with the children as they are writing and drawing. Some of the children may know how to write a few letters while others may not know any. You can start out by teaching them how to write their name. They will not learn every letter by doing this but this is a good way to get started with writing. They will feel proud knowing that they can write their own name. You could also teach them how to write simple words, like dog, cat, mom, and dad.

Make a Puzzle

When the children learn how to write their name, get some cardboard and write letters for each child's name. Make the letters large enough so the kids can handle them better. Cut the letters out and separate them out by child. Put the letters in separate paper bags. When it is time to play sit the children down and hand them their paper bag. Ask them to dump the contents of the bag out. Ask the children if they can rearrange the letters into their name.

You could also use the easier words listed above for this puzzle game. As an added bonus, ask the children to write their name on the paper bag. You could then change out the letters each week and ask the children to spell something else.

Children are eager to learn, especially when then are at the preschool age. Because of this, this is the perfect time to start teaching them about writing. For more information, contact local professionals like Kaye Kare Child Care Center.